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01/12 22:31 CST Texans stifle Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers 30-6 for
franchise's 1st road playoff win
Texans stifle Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers 30-6 for franchise's 1st road
playoff win
By WILL GRAVES
AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) --- Sheldon Rankins returned a fumble by Aaron Rodgers 33 yards
for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to highlight a dominant performance
by the NFL's top-ranked defense, and the Houston Texans beat the Pittsburgh
Steelers 30-6 on Monday night for the first road playoff win in franchise
history.
The Texans (13-5) play at New England (15-3) in the divisional round on Sunday
night.
C.J. Stroud turned it over three times but also threw a first-half touchdown
pass to Christian Kirk, who had eight catches for 144 yards. Woody Marks had
112 yards rushing for Houston, which had been 0-6 on the road in the postseason
before shutting down Rodgers and the Steelers (10-8).
Marks' 13-yard touchdown run with 3:43 to go sealed it, and Calen Bullock added
Houston's second defensive score with a 50-yard pick-6 less than a minute later
on Rodgers' final throw of the game --- and possibly his 21-year career.
Rodgers passed for just 146 yards as the Steelers were held to 175 yards of
offense. The four-time MVP will take some time before deciding whether to
return next fall.
While Rodgers' play down the stretch was one of the reasons the Steelers won
the AFC North, he struggled in much the same way his predecessors Russell
Wilson and Mason Rudolph did as Pittsburgh lost its seventh straight playoff
game and dropped a Monday night home game for the first time since 1991.
His Hall of Fame career may have ended on a forced downfield throw that Bullock
stepped in front of. Rodgers tried and failed to tackle Bullock on the way to
the end zone.
The Steelers' defense, long the biggest problem during a playoff victory
drought that is nearing a decade, forced Stroud into numerous mistakes and kept
Pittsburgh in the game until late.
The result, however, was the same as it has been for the Steelers and coach
Mike Tomlin since they fell to New England in the 2016 AFC championship game,
with a long walk to the locker room and a longer-than-hoped-for offseason to
figure out what went wrong.
Houston's 10th straight win was hardly a thing of beauty, as a thrilling
opening weekend of the playoffs ended with a rock fight between clubs trying to
shed some ignominious playoff history.
The Texans survived the way they have much of the season, by letting the
league's best defense smother their opponent.
The Steelers failed to capitalize on the miscues from a jittery Stroud, who
fumbled twice and threw a pick. Pittsburgh scored just three points off those
turnovers.
Not even the return of wide receiver DK Metcalf from a two-game suspension for
making contact with a fan in Detroit helped. Metcalf finished with two catches
for 42 yards and had a critical drop that cost the Steelers a chance to extend
a 3-0 lead.
The Texans gathered themselves after an iffy start and took a 7-6 lead when
Stroud finished off a 16-play, 92-yard drive by flipping a pass to Kirk for a
4-yard touchdown.
Stroud let a chance to extend the lead get away early in the second half when
he was intercepted deep in Pittsburgh territory.
The Steelers' offense again did nothing with the opportunity.
Ka'imi Fairbairn's 51-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter pushed
Houston's lead to 10-6. Will Anderson sacked Rodgers on Pittsburgh's ensuing
possession, the ball popped loose and Rankins alertly scooped it up and raced
to the end zone to put the Texans up by 11.
Unlike a heart-stopping fourth-quarter rally against Baltimore that earned them
their first AFC North title since 2020, this time there was no late-game magic
from Rodgers and the Steelers.
Instead, Tomlin's postseason losing streak hit seven, tying Marvin Lewis of the
Bengals for the longest playoff skid by an NFL coach.
While the NFL's longest-tenured coach is all but assured of returning for a
20th season if he wants --- even if there were chants for his firing in the
final moments --- Pittsburgh heads into yet another offseason in search of a
quarterback and answers to a playoff drought whose weight seems to grow by the
year.
Houston, meanwhile, heads to New England as the hottest team in the NFL with a
quarterback who will be eager for a chance at a reprieve and a defense that can
keep a game close against any opponent.
Injuries Texans: WRs Nico Collins and Justin Watson both went into the concussion protocol in the second half. S Jaylen Reed (forearm), who was activated off injured reserve early Monday, left in the first quarter with a knee injury.
Up next Texans: Face the Patriots for the first time this season. Steelers: The NFL draft, which Pittsburgh is hosting in late April. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Injuries Texans: WRs Nico Collins and Justin Watson both went into the concussion protocol in the second half. S Jaylen Reed (forearm), who was activated off injured reserve early Monday, left in the first quarter with a knee injury.
Up next Texans: Face the Patriots for the first time this season. Steelers: The NFL draft, which Pittsburgh is hosting in late April. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
